Rauner meets with Sangamon County GOP

Republican candidate for governor Bruce Rauner met with county GOP precinct committee members for the first time Saturday during a campaign stop in Springfield.

By Tobias WallStaff Writer

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner predicted a GOP majority in Illinois eight years from now during a campaign stop in Springfield Saturday afternoon.

The multi-millionaire businessman from Winnetka made the prediction as he addressed around 250 supporters who had crammed into Boondocks Pub, 2909 N. Dirksen Parkway. Sangamon County Republican Central Committee chairwoman Rosemarie Long said the rally was a chance for precinct committeemen to meet Rauner for the first time.

“I’ve been wanting the committeemen to have a chance to meet with Bruce, and there just hasn’t been the chance. That was the basis of this meeting,” she said.

“We’re going to rebuild our Republican party from the grassroots up in every county. We’re going to take seat after seat in the General Assembly, and eight years from today we’re going to be celebrating. We’re going to be the majority party,” Rauner told the crowd.

He later defended the statement as “very realistic."

“Limited government, low taxes, individual liberty and personal responsibility. Many Democrats believe in that, independent voters believe in it and if we build the Republican party on that, that’s a unifying message,” he said.

Long acknowledged that getting precinct committee members to switch gears and drum up support for Rauner would be a challenge in a county that overwhelmingly preferred Hinsdale State Sen. Kirk Dillard by more than three-to-one in the March primary election.

“We’re going to do it. We will do it. Sangamon County will do it for him,” Long said.

“Primaries are not fun for anybody. Friends need to fight with each other and argue. But the reality is we share the common priorities and a sense of purpose,” Rauner said.

Rauner also said during his remarks that too many Illinoisans suffer thanks to rising costs of living that aren’t met with rising wages. He said one possible solution he supports is bringing the national minimum wage of $7.25 an hour up to Illinois’ $8.25 minimum wage to increase competition between states, something he said the market could respond to by further driving up wages on its own.

“Or, if we want to raise Illinois’ minimum wage, I’ll support that. But we need to do it in conjunction with a tax reduction, workers comp reform and tort reform so small businesses can afford to pay a higher wage,” he said.

Joining Rauner at the event was U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville, who faces Edwardsville Democrat Ann Callis, a former Illinois Third Judicial Circuit chief judge. Springfield State Rep. Raymond Poe and Morrisonville State Rep. Wayne Rosenthal also attended.